U.S. researchers have documented the first fatal case of the alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), caused by a bite from the 'lone star' tick, in a healthy man from New Jersey who died in 2024. Bites from this tick can cause hypersensitivity to alpha-gal, an oligosaccharid found in most mammalian meats such as beef, pork, or lamb, which can lead to allergic reactions including rashes, nausea, and vomiting, and can potentially be fatal. The documented case is that of a 47-year-old man who died four hours after consuming beef. His death remained a mystery until it was investigated by the leading AGS expert, allergist Thomas Platts-Mills, of the University of Virginia (UVA). 'Platts-Mills obtained post-mortem blood samples from the man and discovered he was sensitized to alpha-gal. Additionally, the blood indicated that the man had a severe reaction, consistent with a fatal anaphylaxis,' the note details. The widow of the deceased, who requested an autopsy review, explained to the researchers that the man had been bitten 12 or 13 times that summer by what he believed was a red mite, and Platts-Mills recognized that in the eastern U.S., these bites are often from the larvae of the 'lone star' tick. The man had been with his family at a campsite, and after dining on a beef steak, he showed the first symptoms: 'severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting.' Two weeks later, unaware he had developed an allergy to red meat, he consumed a hamburger at a barbecue, after which he died. Platts-Mills and other researchers believe other factors contributed to the severity of the allergic reaction, such as having a beer with the hamburger, being exposed to ragweed pollen, and having exercised that afternoon. Furthermore, according to his family, he did not typically eat red meat. UVA researchers urged physicians to be alert to possible cases of this allergy and the risk of patient exposure, as the deer population is multiplying in many states and is the primary breeding ground for 'lone star' ticks. Platts-Mills, who published the case details in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, called on both physicians and patients to be aware of the risks in areas of the country where this tick is more prevalent and to monitor for possible symptoms after consuming red meat. AGS has been on the rise in the country since 2010, and health authorities estimate 450,000 cases of the illness, predominantly in areas where the tick is most present, mainly Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Suffolk County in New York state, but also in other areas.
